Dec. 17--Federal regulators have given the green light to stevia, a natural zero-calorie sweetener that could have a big impact on the beverage and packet sweetener business.
Chicago-based Merisant Co., which makes a stevia-based sweetener, said Wednesday that it received a notice of "no objection" to the product from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Merisant, maker of the Equal brand sweetener, and agribusiness giant Cargill last spring each asked the FDA to declare their stevia-based sweeteners as "generally accepted as safe." The FDA has formally agreed to that claim, Merisant said in a press release.
Merisant has teamed up with PepsiCo and Cargill with Coca-Cola, and both beverage makers are expected to soon launch stevia-sweetened drinks.
If consumers like the taste, stevia "could mean a very substantial change for the U.S. [beverage] industry," John Sicher, editor of Beverage Digest, told the Tribune recently. That's because beverage makers have long strived to find a diet sweetener that isn't artificial, he said.
Cargill and Merisant are also each selling packet-based sweeteners for coffee and the like under the respective names of Truvia and PureVia.
Merisant and Cargill submitted extensive documentation to the FDA regarding their claims of stevia's safety. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a food safety watchdog group, has said that while the companies' research was sound, the FDA should do further testing on stevia.
The FDA couldn't immediately be reached for comment. mhughlett@tribune.com
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